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More than two dozen residents press San Angelo council over water, housing and ethics at Skybox meeting
Summary
About 30 people spoke during public comment at an April 22 meeting, with many urging a moratorium or rejection of the proposed Skybox data center over water, wastewater, noise, housing and transparency concerns while some business leaders praised expected economic benefits.
Dozens of San Angelo residents packed a city meeting on April 22 to press elected officials about a proposed Skybox data center campus, raising repeated calls for a moratorium, stronger setbacks, independent testing and transparency about tenants and long-term water and wastewater impacts.
The meeting moved into public comment after a detailed presentation by planning staff and Skybox representatives. Mayor Tom announced 30 signed speakers and reminded the public that each would be limited to three minutes.
Speakers during a nearly two-hour public-comment period voiced a consistent set of concerns: potential depletion of local water supplies, the adequacy of wastewater treatment and emergency discharge oversight, low-frequency "hum" and other noise impacts, the scale of construction and the community's capacity to absorb hundreds of short-term workers and higher housing costs. Rebecca Ridge (District 5) urged the council to "pause any action on data centers for a year" and called the proposed 200-foot residential setback "too small." Amber Armendariz (District 6) asked the council to place an "indefinite moratorium" on Skybox projects, citing personal health impacts she attributed to past proximity to a data center.
At the same time, some speakers highlighted potential benefits. Steve Elanius, CEO of the San Angelo Chamber of Commerce, said construction and ongoing facility visits would boost hotel occupancy and provide local spending and potential longer-term employment. "During construction... you're going to bring hundreds of workers to this community, contractors and specialized crews that will be staying in our hotels and pumping money into our local economy," he said.
Other commenters asked for practical steps before any approvals: Vernon Hegler proposed sending a small panel (a hands-on water official, an independent engineer and an experienced operator) to visit a comparable operating facility to verify claims; Tanya Atkins urged meaningful preference for qualified local contractors to keep economic benefits in the community.
Multiple residents also expressed skepticism about out-of-town contracting patterns and noted examples from other West Texas cities where temporary housing shortages, increased traffic and even a construction fatality were reported during multi-site data-center buildouts.
The council made no decision on zoning or utility text at the meeting. A procedural motion to adjourn was moved and seconded at the end of the public-comment period; the council voted 7-0 to adjourn, closing the session.
